Pakistan police kill terrorists linked to Lanka cricket team attack

In 2009, a bus carrying the Sri Lankan team was attacked by terrorists near Qaddafi Stadium in Lahore leaving seven cricketers injured

FOUR LASHKAR-E-JHANGVI (LEJ) terrorists who were allegedly involved in the 2009 attack on the visiting Sri Lankan cricket team were shot dead on Sunday by police in Lahore.

Seven terrorists attacked a CID team in Manawan area of Lahore where offices of the department are located, according to the Crime Investigation Department (CID) of the Punjab police.

“The police team which came under attack of terrorists returned the fire, killing four of them on the spot while the remaining three managed to escape by taking advantage of darkness,” a CTD spokesman said.

He said the police have launched a search operation in the area to trace the absconding terrorists.

“The dead terrorists have been identified as — Zubair alias Naik Muhammad, Abdul Wahab, Adnan Arshad and Attiqur Rehman.”

“They were involved in attack on the Sri Lankan cricket team in 2009 and Moon Market Lahore attack in 2008,” the spokesman said. Weapons and explosives were also recovered from their possession.

In June, the Anti-terrorism Court in Lahore had indicted six members of banned LEJ in the Sri Lankan cricket team attack case.

The LEJ suspects who were charged by the ATC were — Obaidullah, Javed Anwar, Ibrahim Khalil, Muhammad, Wahab and Arshad.

Obaidullah, Anwar and Khalil were on bail while the remaining had been lodged in Kot Lakhpat Jail and they had pleaded not guilty.

The ATC had already declared two other suspects — Mohsin Rasheed and Abdul Rehman — proclaimed offenders.

LEJ chief Malik Ishaq, the alleged mastermind of the attack, was killed last year in an encounter with the CID.

In March 2009, a bus carrying the Sri Lankan team was attacked by the Taliban and LEJ terrorists with sophisticated weapons and grenades at Liberty Chowk, near Qaddafi Stadium in Lahore.

Seven players including the then captain Mahela Jayawaredene, Kumar Sangakkara, Ajantha Mendis, Thilan Samaraweera, Tharanga Paranavitana and Chaminda Vaas were injured, while six Pakistani policemen escorting the team were killed in the attack. PTI

Reuters/file The bus in which the Lankan team was travelling.